Regulating gate



y 3 1940- J. H. FITZGERALD 2,209,1 5

REGULATING GATE Filed March 7. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w PA/ Q g I 5 J p l/ v a w i 4 a "Mm m H l I m I m m 0 1 mmmhw I Ji mes H F1 fzgera/Zd y 23, 1940- J. H. FITZGERALD 2,209,115

REGULATING GATE Filed March 7, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M W Mm w MW. M M H w m @Ju 9. 7 5 a Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED STTES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to regulating gates.

The regulating gate disclosed herein is adapted for association with such devices as bottom dump buckets, concrete hoist towers, sludge and sewage bins, cement bins, or other containers of materials to be discharged therefrom, the regulating gate acting as a closure valve for the bottom discharge of the container.

The discharge at the lower end of, for in stance, a bottom dump bucket has heretofore been closed by a regulating gate functioning as a closure valve and such gates have generally been of a clamshell type embodying a pair of closure doors or members of arcuate formation that have their concaved sides disposed upwardly and upon which the material in the hopper or bucket is supported. In such devices the weight of the material ranges from 4,000 pounds to 32,000 pounds, and it will be readily seen that such weights bearing on gates of the clamshell type have a tendency to open the gates as well as resisting closure of the gates.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a regulating gate for apparatus of the foregoing character wherein the weight of the materials being delivered into the bucket, hopper or container acts upon the gate to assist closing movements thereof as well as acting to hold the gates in their closed position, but being of such construction as to permit relatively easy opening movements of the gate when it is desired to discharge the contents of the bucket, hopper or other container.

More specifically, an object of this invention is to provide a regulating gate for a bottom dump bucket or other container wherein the gate comprises a pair of arcuate valves or gate members for controlling the flow of materials through the bucket with the convex sides of the gate members disposed upwardly and having their journaled mountings relatively disposed so as to cause the adjacent edges of the gate members to move in generally downward directions toward each other to their meeting closed positions relative to the discharge at the bottom of the bucket so that the weight of the material in the bucket will aid in the closing of the regulating gates as well as acting to maintain the regulating gates in their closed positions.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically claimed.

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a bottom dump bucket constructed in accordance with the pres- 5 ent invention, the housing for the operating gears for the regulating gate being shown in section,

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional'view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the regulating gates to. be of substantially semi-cylin- 10 drical formation with the convex sides thereof their fully opened positions, 1

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View, similar to Fig. 2, showing another form of regulating gate with the gate sections formed of arouate segments less than 180 and so disposed as to support the material in the bucket entirely thereabove.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational View, partly broken away, of a bottom dump bucket or the like with the modified construction of operating means for the regulating gate sections, 7 v

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on'line 66 of Fig. 5, showing the regulated gates of segmental formation with gear connections therebetween and a pinion drive for the geared connections,

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line il of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view at right angles to the showing in Fig. 6.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings and particularly to Figures 1 to 3, the showing in said figures may be illustrative of a concrete hoist tower, sludge or sewage bin, cement bin, or other container, but for the purposes of clarity in the description, the device will be referred to as a bottom dump bucket designated by the reference character I0 and while the same is illustrated in Figure 1 as being of rectangular formation, the same may be of any shape desired. The bottom dump bucket l0 includes side walls H and end walls I2 and a pair of inclined boards l3 extending inwardly and downwardly from the side walls H constitute a hopper with said inclined boards l3 spaced at their lower ends as at I4 to provide a discharge opening.

A regulating gate is associated with the discharge opening and comprises a pair of semicylindrical gate members if having end walls I6 by means of which the gate members I5 are rigidly connected to a pair of shafts ll extending longitudinally of the bucket iii below the discharge opening in the hopper with the shafts ll extending through and journaled in the end walls I2 of the bucket. As shown more clearly in Figure 2, the two shafts H are respectively journaled in the end Walls l2 of the bucket at points below and substantially in the vertical plane of the adjacent lower edge of the inclined board l3 with the convex sides of the gate members [5 disposed outwardly of said shafts and presented for Wiping engagement with the loweredge of the associated inclined board i3. When the gate membersifi are in their closed positions as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the chordal edges of the end walls It are horizontally alined and the adjacent edges it of the semi-cylindricalgate opening of the hopper. I

While the gate members may be moved from then opened to closed positions by hydraulic,

pneumatic or any mechanical means, hand-operated devices are shown merely for purposes of illustratiomFigure 1 illustrating a gear l9 on each end of the two shafts ll outwardly of the end walls l2 of the bucket lllwith the gears on adjacent ends of the shafts ll meshing with eachother and located within a protective housing 23 carried by each end wall E2 of the bucket. A manually operable handle or lever 28 is fixed to one of the ends of a shaft ill to effect simultaneous rotation of the shafts and corresponding movements of the gate members I5.

It will be observed from an inspection of Figure 2 that the convex sides of the semi-cylindrical gate members l5 are disposed upwardly'and presented .to the discharge opening at the bottom of the hopper within the bucket. It will also be observed that the upper convex surfaces of the gate members l5 exposed to the discharge opening in the bucket are in a generally downward and central direction so that the weight of the material M in the bucket which frequently averages as high as 32,000 pounds aids in the closing movements of the gate members and definitely acts to hold the gate members in their closed positions. The regulating gate members are illustrated in Figure'3 as being in their opened positions with the material in the bucket passing through the discharge opening in the hopper, and it will be understood that when the gate members are moved to their closed positions, the adjacent edges l8 thereof will always travel in a downward direction toward the center of the bucket so that the weight of 'the material in the bucket flowing in the general direction with the closing movement of the gate members will aid the gate members in their closing movements. The gate members are free of any depressions or pockets, such as are present in the clamshell type of gate for the collection of material therein with the result that the material aids in the closing movement of the gate members byfiowing downwardly over the convex sides thereof. It will again be noted, as shown in Figure 2, that the weight of thematerial M in the bucket l0 constantly bears downwardly on the gate members to hold them in closed position.

The gate members 15 have been'described in connection with Figures 1 to 3 as being of semicylindrical formation, but it is to be understood that the gate members may be any segment of a circle or cam and a modified form of gate member is shown in Figure 4 wherein the arcuate adjacent portions of the semi-cylindrical gate members as shown in Figure 2 is not present. The shafts are so relatively disposed that the meeting edges l8 of the arcuate gate members w move in a downward and central direction during closing movements relative to the adjacent end M of the inclined hopper board 13. The Weight of the material in the hopper maintains the gate members l5 in their closed positions.

and by the constant downward push of the material in the bucket there is a tendency for the material to close the gates when the latter are being moved to their closed positions.

In the form of invention illustrated in Figures 5 to 8, the dump bucket 25 is of the circular type and has a hopper cone Z6 suitably anchored therein with a discharge opening 21 at the lower end of the hopper cone 26. A pair of shafts 28 and 29 is disposed within the bucket 25 below the discharge opening 21 in the hopper cone and A pair of arcuate segmental gate members 3| have right angularly extending end. walls 32 respectively fixed to the shafts28 and 29 and' said shafts and arcuate gate members are so relatively positionedas to cause the upper convex sides of the gate members 3| to wipe the discharge opening 21 at the .bottom of the cone hopper 26 to provide a valve closure therefor. The shafts 28 and 29 are interconnected by meshing gears 33 for simultaneous rotation. to move the arcuate gate members 3! to their opened and closed positions relative to the discharge opening in the cone hopper.

To increase the power for the operation of the gate members 3|, especially where the dump bucket handles exceptionally heavy materials, there is provided a third shaft 34 parallel with and preferably in the same horizontal plane. as

the shafts 28 and 29, said shaft 34 being journaled at its ends in bearings 35 carried by the inner face of 'the bucket 25. A pair of relatively small pinions 3 6 are fixed to the shaft 34 and mesh withthe adjacent gears 33 on the shaft 29. The operating means for the shaft 34 and pinions'36 includes a lever or handle 31 having a forked connection 38 with the shaft 34, the handle 31 extending outwardly of the bucket 25 and-vertically working through the slot 39 in'the side wall of the bucket. It will be readily understood from an inspection of Figure 6 that upward movement of the handle 31 rotating the pinions 36 effects reverse rotation of the shafts 28 and 29 through the meshing gears 33 with increased leverage by the relative sizes of the gears 33 and pinions 36 so that the arcuate regulating gates 3i are comparatively easily moved in the pres! ence of excessive weight thereon by the character of material in the hopper 26. It will also be understood that in the form of the invention shown in Figures 5 to 8, the weight of the material in the hopper 2t constantly bears downwardly and that the meeting edges 3W of the arcuate gates 3| travel in a downward and central direction from the hopper opening 21 of the closed positions of the gates so that the weight of the material in the hopper aids the gates in their closing movements as well as act ing to maintain the gates in their closed positions.

In each forn': of the invention disclosed herein the weight of the material in the hopper operates to aid the regulating gates in their movements to closed positions and the weight of the material also operates to maintain the regulating gates in closed position.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction and operation thereof will at once be apparent, and.

while there is herein shown and described the preferredembodiment thereof, it is to be understood that minor changes may be made in the details of construction, such as will fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described, a bottom dump bucket having an outer casing wall open at the top and bottom thereof, a conical hopper within the outer casing wall spaced from the upper and lower ends thereof and having a bottom discharge opening, a regulating gate associated with the discharge opening at the lower end of the conical hopper within the outer casing wall above the lower end of the latter and comprising a pair of arcuate gate members having their upper convex sides movable over the discharge opening and with the meeting edges of the gate members moving in an inward and downward direction to closed abutting positions whereby the weight of the material in the bucket pressing downwardly on the gate members during closing movements is operative to aid the gate members in their closing movements and to maintain the gate members closed, the arcuate formation of the gate members being less than pivotal mountings for the gate members including a shaft journaled in the outer casing wall for the support of each gate member, gear connections between the shafts within the outer casing wall below said conical hopper, another shaft jgurnaled at its ends in the outer casing wall and having gears thereon within said wall meshing with the gears on one of the aforesaid shafts for operating both of said shafts and said gate members.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a bottom dump bucket having an outer casing wall open at the top and bottom thereof, a conical hopper within the outer casing wall spaced from the upper and lower ends thereof and having a bottom discharge opening, a regulating gate associated with the discharge opening at the lower end of the conical hopper within the outer casing wall above the lower end of the latter and comprising a pair of arcuate gate members having their convex sides movable over the discharge opening and with the-meeting edges of the gate members moving in aninward and downward direction to closed-abutting positions whereby-the weight of the material in the bucket pressing.

downwardly on the gate members during closing member, gear connections between the shafts within the outer casing wall below said conical hopper, a third shaftjournaled at its ends in the outer casing wall, relatively small pinions of the third shaft within the outer casing wall meshing with the gears on one of the gate pivot shafts, the outer casing wall having a vertical slotted opening therein and a lever attached to the third shaft extending through said slotted opening for effecting rotation of all of said shafts and said gate members.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a portable bottom dump bucket having an outer casing wall open at the top and bottom thereof, a conical hopper within the outer casing wall spaced from the upper and lower ends thereof and having a bottom discharge opening, a regulating gate associated with the discharge opening at the lower end of the conical hopper within the outer casing wall above the lower end of the latter and comprising a pair of arcuate gate members having their upper convex sides movable over the discharge opening and with the meeting edges of the gate members moving in an inward and downward direction to closed abutting positions whereby the weight of the material in the bucket pressing downwardly on the gate members during closing movements is operative to aid the gate members in their closing movements and to maintain the gate members closed, the arcuate formation of the gate members being less than 180, pivotal mountings for the gate members including a shaft journaled in the outer casing wall for the support of each gate member, means within the outer casing wall forming communication between the gate members to effect simultaneous operation thereof, the outer casing wall having a Vertical slotted opening therein adjacent the lower end thereof, and a hand lever operatively connected at its inner end to said gate members with the outer end of the lever extending through the slot in the outer casing wall for manual operation of the gate members.

JAMES H. FITZGERALD. 

